Kerry Trask

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Kerry A. Trask (born October 17, 1941) is an American historian and author. Trask has worked as a history professor at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc for more than thirty years. Trask was also the Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 25th District in the 2010 general election.

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Career

Kerry Trask was born in Orillia, Ontario, to Victor Arnold and Lillian Trask. He worked his way through college in steel foundries, dairy farms, and as a ranger with the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. Trask earned his B.A. in American History, from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. [1] He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. [1] Shortly after earning his Ph.D. in American History, Trask joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc. [1]

During his 36 years at the UW Manitowoc, Trask served as history professor, History Department chair for all 13 University of Wisconsin Colleges, interim dean for the University of Wisconsin Sheboygan, chair of the Appeals and Grievances Committee for the UW Colleges, a member of the Board of Advisors to the UW System’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity. He was also a member of the AFL-CIO Academic Rights and Freedom Committee. He was named professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc, and is a fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, [2] and a scholar-advisor to the Black Earth Institute. [3]

Among other books Trask wrote Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America. [4] He has also had his work published in magazines and scholarly publications including The Wisconsin Magazine of History , [5] The American Historical Review, [6] and The William and Mary Quarterly, [7] among others. He is the reviews editor for Voyageur: Northeastern Wisconsin’s Historical Review. [8] In addition, Trask has done work with Wisconsin Public Television. In 2009 he was a consultant and on-film commentator for Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Manitowoc and Two Rivers. [9] Two years prior he was featured as an on-film commentator for The Black Hawk War, an episode of Wisconsin Public Television’s weekly program, In Wisconsin. [10]

His work has been awarded in several different forums. In 2006, he received the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa for Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America. [11] The same year he was named a Library Resident Fellow with the American Philosophical Society. [12]

State assembly campaign

Trask ran as the Democrat in the 25th District race for Wisconsin State Assembly in the November 2010 general election. [13] He was defeated in that race by Independent candidate Bob Ziegelbauer. Ziegelbauer won with 50% of the vote (9697 votes), while Trask managed 33% of the vote (6458). The Republican candidate, Andrew Wisniewski, collected 17% of the votes. [13]

Selected publications

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Hawk War</span> 1832 conflict between the United States and Native Americans

The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crossed the Mississippi River, to the U.S. state of Illinois, from Iowa Indian Territory in April 1832. Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but he was apparently hoping to reclaim land that was taken over by the United States in the disputed 1804 Treaty of St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitowoc County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitowoc, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bad Axe</span> Massacre of Sauk and Fox Indians by the United States Army

The Bad Axe Massacre was a massacre of Sauk (Sac) and Fox Indians by United States Army regulars and militia that occurred on August 1–2, 1832. This final scene of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin, in the United States. It marked the end of the war between white settlers and militia in Illinois and Michigan Territory, and the Sauk and Fox tribes under warrior Black Hawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Creek massacre</span>

The Indian Creek Massacre occurred on May 21, 1832 with the attack by a party of Native Americans on a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois following a dispute about a settler-constructed dam that prevented fish from reaching a nearby Potawatomi village. The incident coincided with the Black Hawk War, but it was not a direct action of the Sauk leader Black Hawk and conflict with the United States. The removal of the dam was asked, was rejected by the settlers and between 40 and 80 Potawatomis and three Sauks attacked and killed fifteen settlers, including women and children. Two young women kidnapped by the Indians were ransomed and released unharmed about two weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1832)</span> United States historic place

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, also referred to as the Battle of Pecatonica and the Battle of Bloody Lake, was fought on June 16, 1832 in present-day Wisconsin at an oxbow lake known as "Horseshoe Bend", which was formed by a change in course of the Pecatonica River. The battle was a major turning point in the Black Hawk War, despite being of only minor military significance. The small victory won by the U.S. militia at Horseshoe Bend helped restore public confidence in the volunteer force following an embarrassing defeat at Stillman's Run. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend ended with three militia men killed in action and a party of eleven Kickapoo warriors dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spafford Farm massacre</span> 1832 attack on US militia and civilians

The Spafford Farm massacre, also referred to as the Wayne massacre, was an attack upon U.S. militia and civilians that occurred as part of the Black Hawk War near present-day South Wayne, Wisconsin. Spafford Farm was settled in 1830 by Omri Spafford and his partner Francis Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix St. Vrain</span>

Felix St. Vrain, born Felix August Antoine St. Vrain, was an American United States Indian agent who was killed by Native Americans during the Black Hawk War. St. Vrain died along with three companions while on a mission to deliver dispatches from Dixon's Ferry to Fort Armstrong, both in Illinois. The incident has become known as the St. Vrain massacre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Apple River Fort</span> 1832 battle of the Black Hawk War

The Battle of Apple River Fort, occurred on the late afternoon of June 24, 1832 at the Apple River Fort, near present-day Elizabeth, Illinois, when Black Hawk and 200 of his "British Band" of Sauk and Fox were surprised by a group of four messengers en route from Galena, Illinois. One of the couriers was wounded in the thigh as the riders quickly made for the protection of the nearby stockade. Courier Fred Dixon lagged behind and provided cover for his comrades. The other couriers rode ahead to warn some 70 settlers of the approaching Sauk and Fox, thus saving their lives. The small company of militia at the fort, about 28-30 men and boys led by Captain Clack Stone, fought off Black Hawk's 150-man war party in an action that lasted about an hour. The withering pace of the gunfire eventually convinced Black Hawk that the fort was too heavily defended to lead a direct attack. He considered burning the fort, then switched to raiding cabins of foodstuffs, clothing and cooking utensils. In the gathering darkness, Black Hawk and his war party retreated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Waddams Grove</span> Battle part of the Black Hawk War

The Battle of Waddams Grove, also known as the Battle of Yellow Creek was part of the Black Hawk War. It took place in present-day Stephenson County, Illinois on June 18, 1832. After several incidents of Sauk Indian raids on settlers along the Apple River, Captain James W. Stephenson left Galena with a group of volunteer militia in pursuit of the Native party. The group clashed on June 18, 1832 near Yellow Creek and the ensuing battle descended into a bayonet and knife fight in which several Sauk and three militia men were killed. Stephenson was severely wounded by a musketball to the chest during the fighting. The dead were eventually interred in a memorial cemetery in Kellogg's Grove, Illinois where a stone monument was erected in memory of those killed during the war.

The Sinsinawa Mound raid occurred on June 29, 1832, near the Sinsinawa mining settlement in Michigan Territory. This incident, part of the Black Hawk War, resulted in the deaths of two men; a third man survived by seeking cover in a nearby blockhouse. In the aftermath of the raid, Captain James W. Stephenson set out to pursue the attackers—a straggling band of Sauk Native Americans—but lost their trail at the Mississippi River. The attack occurred in the same week as other skirmishes and raids, and as a result helped contribute to the growing fear in the region. The raid caused the residents of nearby Platteville to consider fleeing their settlement.

The Plum River raid was a bloodless skirmish that occurred at present-day Savanna, Illinois, on May 21, 1832, as part of the Black Hawk War. Most of the settlement's inhabitants, except for a few defenders, had fled for Galena, Illinois, before the raid happened. A small band of Native Americans, either Sauk or Fox, attacked the settlement while only three of the six defenders were present. The men who were present fell back to the blockhouse and a firefight ensued for about one hour, after which the attackers withdrew. No one was killed or injured during the attack, but in its aftermath Colonel James M. Strode dispatched a detachment of militia to Savanna. They returned to Galena without incident and the settlement at Savanna was temporarily abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James W. Stephenson</span> American politician and militia officer

James W. Stephenson was an American militia officer and politician from the state of Illinois. He was born in Virginia but spent most of his youth in Edwardsville, Illinois. In 1825 he was indicted for the murder of a family acquaintance, but never went to trial. Upon the outbreak of the Black Hawk War in 1832, Stephenson raised a company and saw combat, suffering severe wounds at the Battle of Waddams Grove. After the war ended Stephenson entered public life, and served as a member of the Illinois State Senate in 1834. In December 1837 Stephenson was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois. Within six months of his nomination, accusations of embezzlement were leveled against him, and he was forced to withdraw from the election. In August 1838, Stephenson died at home of tuberculosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William S. Hamilton</span> American politician

William Stephen Hamilton, a son of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, was an American politician and miner who lived much of his life in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory. Hamilton was born in New York, where he attended the United States Military Academy before he resigned and moved to Illinois in 1817. In Illinois, he lived in Springfield and Peoria and eventually migrated to the lead-mining region of southern Wisconsin and established Hamilton's Diggings at present-day Wiota, Wisconsin. Hamilton served in various political offices and as a commander in two Midwest Indian Wars. In 1849, he moved to California during the California Gold Rush. He died in Sacramento, most likely of cholera, in October 1850.

After the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, at the Battle of Stillman's Run in May 1832, there were minor attacks and skirmishes throughout the duration of the conflict. The war was fought between white settlers in Illinois and present-day Wisconsin and Sauk Chief Black Hawk. The relatively minor attacks of the war were widely dispersed and often carried out by bands of Native Americans that were unaffiliated with Black Hawk's British Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Payne</span>

Adam Payne was an itinerant minister who enjoyed success preaching among the Potawatomi people in Illinois and was killed by Native Americans during the Black Hawk War of 1832.

Alexander Posey was an American militia officer who served as a brigadier general under General Henry Atkinson during the Black Hawk War, specifically in the later stages of the second campaign as one of the commanders present at the Battle of Bad Axe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keokuk's Reserve</span>

Keokuk's Reserve was a parcel of land in the present-day U.S. state of Iowa that was retained by the Sauk and Fox tribes in 1832 in the aftermath of the Black Hawk War. The tribes stayed on the reservation only until 1836 when the land was ceded to the United States, and the Native Americans were moved to a new reservation.

Robert F. Ziegelbauer is an American politician who served as an independent member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and is the current County Executive of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. He represented the 25th Assembly District from his election in 1992 until 2013.

Elizabeth Armstrong was an American settler who found temporary shelter at Apple River Fort with her husband, John, and two children during the 1832 Black Hawk War. She was praised for her bravery during the Battle of Apple River Fort.

References

  1. 1 2 3 About U-W Manitowoc, Faculty and Staff, S-V Archived 2010-08-01 at the Wayback Machine , University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc , accessed January 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Wisconsin Academy announces 2008 Fellows Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine ", (Press release), Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, May 27, 2008, accessed January 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Fellowship Program: Scholar-Advisor Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine ", Black Earth Institute, accessed January 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ Trask, Kerry A. Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America, New York, Henry Holt: 2007, ( ISBN   9780805082623).
  5. ↑ Trask, Kerry A. "Making a Fire Within: The Writing of a Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin", Wisconsin Magazine of History Volume 82, number 4, Summer 1999, accessed January 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ Trask, Kerry A. James Marten. The Children's Civil War , (book review), The American Historical Review , Volume 104, Number 5, December 1999, accessed January 21, 2011.
  7. ↑ Schweitzer, Mary McKinney, et al. Reviewed work(s): Paxton: A Study of Community Structure and Mobility in the Colonial Pennsylvania Backcountry by George W. Franz, (JSTOR), Third Series, Vol. 48, No. 1, January 1991, pp. 132-134, Trask review on p. 132.
  8. ↑ "About the Voyageur Staff Archived 2010-07-27 at the Wayback Machine ", Voyageur: Northeast Wisconsin's Historical Review, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, accessed January 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Manitowoc-Two Rivers" (transcript), Wisconsin Public Television - Wisconsin Stories, accessed January 19, 2011.
  10. ↑ "In Wisconsin Transcript #000533" (transcript), Wisconsin Public Television - In Wisconsin, May 15, 2007, accessed January 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Recipients of the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award", Iowa Center for the Book - State Library of Iowa, accessed January 19, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Library Resident Fellows - 2009-2005", American Philosophical Society , accessed January 19, 2011.
  13. 1 2 "You Decide 2010: Election Results from Around Wisconsin", WNFL , November 3, 2010, accessed January 19, 2011.
  14. ↑ Valeri, Mark (1990). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, In the Pursuit of Shadows". The William and Mary Quarterly. Third. 47 (4): 597–598. doi:10.2307/2937987. JSTOR   2937987.
  15. ↑ Roca, Steven Louis (1996). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Fire within". Wisconsin Magazine of History . 80 (1): 67–68.
  16. ↑ Gramm, Kent (1996). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Fire Within". The Journal of American History . 83 (2): 625. doi:10.2307/2945001. JSTOR   2945001.
  17. ↑ Gallman, J. Matthew Louis (1997). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Fire within". The American Historical Review . 102 (1): 192–93. doi:10.2307/2171412. JSTOR   2171412.
  18. ↑ Owens, Patricia Ann (1996). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Fire within". Illinois Historical Journal . 89 (3): 189–90.
  19. ↑ Field, Phyllis F. (1996). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Fire within". Michigan Historical Review . 22 (1): 158–59. doi:10.2307/20173578. JSTOR   20173578.
  20. ↑ Rodgers, Thomas E. (1996). "Rev. of Skidmore, The Alford Brothers, and Kerry Trask, Fire within". Indiana Magazine of History . 92 (3): 278–80.
  21. ↑ McClinton, Rowena (2007). "Rev. of Kerry Trask, Black Hawk". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society . 100 (3): 283–85. JSTOR   40204693.
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